Mark Jackson as Head Coach: Fingers Crossed, Again

Since Al Attles left the bench in 1983, the Warriors have had 14 different head coaches. 12 of those coaches, logging over 1200 games, failed to lead the team to the playoffs. For me, the hiring of Mark Jackson as the Warriors’ new head coach raises one fundamental question: what separates Jackson from the 12 guys that tried and failed to right this ship before him? “No coaching experience whatsoever” is not a reassuring distinction.

The Warriors’ head coach hire was surprisingly in-line with the team’s stated wishes. They were looking for a young up-and-comer. They wanted greater defensive emphasis. A winning pedigree may not have been required, but it was certainly a big plus. There was a clear sense Joe Lacob was looking to make a bold move. Mark Jackson superficially fills those four criteria, but right now he feels like less than the sum of those justifications. With zero coaching experience, he may be too green a prospect. There’s no xs and os evidence to back up his talk of defense. He was a winner as a player, but so were so many other failed Warriors coaches that came (and left) before him. The category he most completely fulfills is “bold move” — in the sense that he’s a big risk. If there’s any bright side to be found here it’s that Warriors ownership picked a decisive path for its next three years (the reported guaranteed term of Jackson’s contract). Time will tell whether the risk was a good one, and whether Lacob and Co. have the courage of their convictions to stick by it.

Because Jackson is a total coaching unknown, it’s hard for anyone outside of a small group familiar with his thinking to have an educated opinion on what type of coach he’ll be. We’ll have to wait for the season — if there is one — to evaluate whether he really has the chops for the job. But for those willing to engage in a little speculation, there are some worrisome signs here.

First, the Warriors are forever swinging between one extreme and the other in their decision making. They react to the last failure or crisis by running the other direction — usually without much rhyme or reason other than not doing what they did last time. Keith Smart was a painfully safe, low-upside choice for head coach. His biggest selling point was that he was a known commodity — to the players, the organization and anyone who bothered to watch his prior work as the Warriors’ “defensive coordinator.” In hiring Jackson, the Warriors appear to have once again rushed to the opposite extreme — a high risk, potentially high-upside pick who is a total unknown to everyone.

Advertisement

Second, it makes sense that Lacob reportedly felt a connection with Jackson, because Jackson as coach will assume much the same posture as Lacob as owner. Both are banking on cross-applied skills rather than time-in-the-trenches experience — Lacob carrying over his business success to running a basketball team; Jackson carrying over his playing and broadcasting success to coaching one. Both have brought on board advisers with qualifications superior to their own — Lacob with Jerry West; Jackson with new assistant Mike Malone. Lacob has faced — and Jackson will face — questions about whether they have the knowledge to wield effectively the ultimate authority they possess. Hopefully both will eventually answer that final question in the affirmative.

Third and most worrisome, this smacks a little bit of the time-honored Warriors tradition of settling for the consolation prize. The top-tier names — Jeff Van Gundy and Jerry Sloan — quickly shot down the Warriors’ reported interest in their services. The most highly regarded of the non-retread crowd — Mike Budenholzer — initially turned the Warriors down, then got a last minute visit from Lacob. We may never known whether he was pursuing the job or being pursued. Instead of those bold-faced names, Jackson arrives as someone who might grown into that level of stature. But when you spend $80 million on a free agent, you want a game-changer. When you have a high lottery pick, you want more than a rotation player. And when you promise to make a splash in the coaching hunt, you want more than a guy most well known for his announcing catch phrases.

Warriors fans were promised that a new coach would bring real change to the team. There are certainly reasons to be optimistic about the Jackson hire, but no track record to provide a firm foundation for that hope. It’s wait-and-see time again for Warriors fans who have waited too long and seen enough.

[Programming note: I continue to be pinned down with day-job responsibilities. I’ll be posting less frequently than I’d like between now and the conclusion of a trial in late July, but I’ll do my best to surface when news breaks. Thanks to all those who keep the discussion going in the unfortunately long gaps between posts.]

Adam Lauridsen

Post navigation

Jerry West was even smaller.
Jackson will teach him to be more efficient.
Next non-issue.

Tired

Friday, dream on.

Jerry West smaller than Monta? Maybe in grade school. Look it up.

Jackson will teach him? sure, yeh, for sure…. Jackson is a genius, in his own mind.

Mark Jackson says he is a great leader and wants to coach Monta. I want to see that. I hope he is right, because f he isn’t, it will just be business as usual for the Ws.

I say anyone who has to go around telling people how great he is at anything is not great at all. It’s a law of the universe. I get the preacher thing, but Jackson is just a little too full of himself for my taste.

The only thing I can see that Jackson has over Singletary, another self proclaimed, unknown quantity ‘leader’ who failed, is that he made a better choice for an assistant coach. But who really made that choice, anyway?

Did anyone else feel the least bit queasy hearing Jackson on the playoff broadcasts criticizing coaches for not keeping their stars in the game when they were benched for rest?

Jackson criticizing Carlisle for how he was handling Dirk? What a moron. Hey Mark, Carlisle knows his team and his players a bit better than you do, fool. And yes, even the stars need rest. And yes, building and trusting your bench pays off in the long run.

All we need is another coach who doesn’t know how to rotate and rest his players.

Jackson’s comments are often childish and less than insightful. VanGundy eats his lunch every game. I don’t get the fascination with this guy. I really hope I am wrong about him. Really.

And for all you “it’s all talent, period, in the NBA” people; Who won the rings? Epic fail on that one, again.

The Dallas victory is a victory for every fan out there who doesn’t want to see Miami win their self prophesied “6 or 7 rings.” It’s a victory for those of us who like to watch team sports, not exhibitions.

And finally, how many of the big stars were preaching and practicing defense? All of them. Miami couldn’t solve the Dallas zone. J Kidd made LJ very nervous and stole the ball from him. It was a playoffs about defense- about match-ups and adjustments and the lack thereof. About who could stop who and how- and when.

The real team stepped up, the stars fuzzed out. LBJ is not MJ, or the other MJ. Or Kobe. Or Dwade.

Congratulations, Dallas! A TEAM that worked extra hard and believed in themselves and each other.

Mark Jackson says we are going to be a fast paced team that plays tough defense.

The bar has been set. See you guys in the Fall.

Friday

Tired:
I did look it up. According to NBA: Jerry West 6’2″
According to bio on West: 6’1″
According to draftexpress: Monta 6’2.25″ without shoes (and that was right out of high school).

I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% certain. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

http://www.buyclassicuggbootstall.com classic ugg boots tall

Why in the planet would you desire to buy real Ugg boots when you can find a great number of lower-charge copies around the market? You’ve got heard the maxim: You only get everything you pay back for!Real Ugg boots are created with a tanned outer surface and double confronted sheepskin with fleece for the within from the boot; the top from the boot has fleece within the external.

http://www.zoomgroups.com/vblast/vId=10399 Private Exchange

Just wanna remark on few common points, The internet site style is ideal, the subject matter is rattling great

http://dentalimplantscostpejkd.posterous.com/ Lillah

Extremely good submit it really is seriously. We’ve been awaiting for this information.

http://aibinternetdosnfhg.posterous.com/ Calandra

Hi there We’re so completely happy We discovered the web-site, I absolutely identified u by error, even though We was browsing within just Aol in relation to a little something diverse, Nevertheless I am the following and We’d absolutely choose to state cheers for that terrific submitting as well as a over-all entertaining web site